A user-experience and integration project to design an App and Portal for both doctors and patients.
Sonic Health Care – Overall Website Layout
Our client Sonic Healthcare came to us wanting an upgrade to the system that allowed their doctors to view their patients’ reports and scans online. A very basic portal existed already but the features were limited and it was not responsive across devices. We straight away saw that there was an enormous opportunity to create a product not only useful for doctors and other referrers, but something that would create real value to patients. We know patients are fast wanting to become the custodians of their own health data, so a tool which allowed patients to access their scans and download their reports would fill a gap currently in the market.
We undertook a number of user-experience and scoping workshops and the job turned into a large integration project developing an app and portal for doctors AND patients. The app and portal has now been rolled out to all Sonic Healthcare radiology practices across Australia: Queensland X-Ray, Hunter Imaging, SKG, Castlereagh Imaging, Illawarra Radiology Group.
We strategised, designed and built five apps and configured each to pull in the client data relevant for each entity. We built in the Ionic framework and pushed to both iOS and Android devices.
It’s all about the user experience
This project was a triumph in simplicity. We knew that in order to achieve a successful outcome a user would need to be able to pick up the app and with no training at all, access their images and reports, and also notate and forward as required.
The simplicity of the interface however, belies the complexity and power of the systems in the back-end and the integration. We needed the systems to be able to spit out something we could intercept and make friendly.
We had to not only integrate with multiple third-party systems and platforms, but in the end we had to architect middleware which sat between the entity website that contained a lot of the practice data (find a practice/help etc) and the app.
The design & development process
We worked through our tried and tested methodology and delivered the following steps in the process:
- Strategy – included user experience workshops with groups of up to 20 stakeholders.
- Low-fi wireframing.
- Hi-fi prototyping – this happened quite rapidly to ensure our stakeholders stayed engaged with the process. We invested a lot of time in the onboarding process and prototyped a number of scenarios. When you are talking about patients healthcare, security is imperative, so onboarding is critical.
- UI design – we designed for mobile first based on statistics. We followed with designing screens for desktop and tablets and the breakpoints from there. Because it was so simple on mobile we faced challenges when we went to the larger desktop screens.
- Rollout – we pushed the design out to the 5 Sonic Healthcare radiology entities. We designed once and then quickly and easily applied the logo and colour identity of the entity.
- Coding – we developed one codebase and created configurable elements in which each entity could turn on and off the different functionality.
- UAT – the user experience testing process involved the client customer support team as well as testing with a number of diverse people across Australia.
The big challenges
- We had to successfully manage scope change: The scope changed immensely over the period of the project but we kept the client deeply engaged so they understood what was in and out of scope at any point in time.
- We needed to communicate effectively with multiple stakeholders: We were reporting to a number of stakeholders, as well as receiving feedback from those many stakeholders. We had to work hard to keep all stakeholders as happy as possible.
- We had to create something simple, yet complex: Creating something that had to be simple but also something that could be built upon for future iterations was a challenge. There is phase 2 in the works so we had to ensure the initial rollout could grow to meet future business needs.
The big wins
- User experience excellence: When looking at a competitors app recently, our client affirmed that our apps user experience was vastly superior. WIN!
- Trouble free rollout: The rollout to the five entities has been incredibly smooth – sending 5 entity apps live over a period of a few months is no mean feat.
- Lasting relationship: We have built a strong relationship with our client and are proud that we can continue to work together for positive outcomes.
